“Many NGOs have not respected the law that governs them,’’ he added at the meeting with non-profit representatives, where they were told they had three months to re-register.

There are about 130 international NGOs in the east African country.

“This measure only confirms the massive and progressive violation of human rights in the country of President Nkurunziza,’’ Martin Nahimana, an economics expert from analytics firm Change Initiative, told dpa.

In September, after UN criticism of rights abuses, Burundi banned three UN human rights experts from entering the country.

Under Burundi law, there are also ethnic quotas for such organisations, which stipulate that they hire 60 per cent Hutus and 40 per cent Tutsis.